1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cartridge, which houses a recording medium and has a write protect portion for switching between a write-allowed state and a write-inhibited state, and a drive device using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disk-type media, such as an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, etc. have been used as recording/reproducing media for portable computers, for example. When information is to be recorded into or reproduced from such a disk medium, the disk medium is loaded in a disk drive and a laser beam is irradiated onto a recording face of the disk medium while the disk medium is being rotated. The recording of the information on the disk medium is performed by a formation of pits due to decomposition of a dye layer, phase variation, magnetization or the like, of the recording face. The recorded information is reproduced from the disk medium on the basis of variation in reflectivity or polarization angle of the laser beam.
In order to enhance the storage capacity of this disk media, shortening the wavelength of a laser beam to be irradiated onto the recording face has been proposed. When information recording or reproduction is carried out using a short-wavelength laser beam, for example, a blue-violet laser beam, the laser beam is attenuated by a cover layer for protecting the recording face of the disk medium. In order to suppress the attenuation of the laser beam due to the cover layer, the thickness of the cover layer is required to be small. When the thickness of the cover layer is reduced as described above, the diameter of the spot of the laser beam on the surface of the cover layer (a surface exposed to the outside) is reduced, so that the influence of dust or the like adhering to the surface of the cover layer cannot be ignored.
Therefore, a disk cartridge having a case which houses a disk medium to prevent adhesion of dust or the like to the disk medium has been adopted. This disk cartridge is structured to have an opening through which the center hole portion formed at the center portion of the disk medium and a part of the recording face (cover layer) of the disk medium are exposed to the outside, and a shutter member for opening and closing the opening. With this construction, the opening of the disk cartridge is closed by the shutter member when the disk medium is not being used, thereby preventing an invasion of dust or the like into the disk cartridge, that is, the adhesion of dust or the like to the disk medium. When the disk medium is being used, the closing of the opening by the shutter member is released in connection with the loading of the disk cartridge into the disk drive device, so that the center hole portion of the disk medium can be held by a rotating spindle shaft and a laser head for irradiating a laser beam onto the recording face of the disk medium can approach the disk medium.
The disk cartridge described above comprises a write protection portion for preventing an mis-deletion of data recorded on a disk medium. Further, the write protect portion includes a switching member for switching between a write-allowed state (in which data can be written into the disk medium) and a write-inhibited state (in which data cannot be written into the disk medium).
For example, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, a compact tabular mis-deletion preventing plug 862 serving as the switching member is fitted in a recess portion 872 formed in the case 870 of a disk cartridge 860 so as to be slidable along the surface of the case 870. A through-hole 874 is formed in the recess portion 872. When the mis-deletion preventing plug 862 is located at the write-inhibited position (unrecordable position), the through-hole 874 is exposed in the form of a small window to the outside. On the other hand, when the mis-deletion preventing plug 862 is located at the write-allowed position (recordable position), the through-hole 874 is closed and thus it is not exposed to the outside.
When data are to be written into the disk medium, the mis-deletion preventing plug 862 is shifted to the write-allowed position as shown in FIG. 24. Accordingly, when the disk cartridge 860 is loaded into a disk drive device (not shown), an abutting rod 876 disposed in the disk drive device abuts against the mis-deletion preventing plug 862 and the disk drive device recognizes that data are writable (recordable) into the disk medium.
On the other hand, when data writing is inhibited, the mis-deletion preventing plug 862 is shifted to the write-inhibited position as shown in FIG. 25. When the disk cartridge 860 is loaded into the disk drive device, the abutting rod 876 does not abut against the mis-deletion preventing plug 862, and is inserted into the through-hole 874, so that the disk drive device recognizes that data are inhibited from being written into the disk medium (i.e., write-inhibition).
When the disk cartridge is set to the write-allowed state and then loaded into the disk drive device, the abutting rod 876 provided to the disk drive device abuts against the mis-deletion preventing plug 862 at all times. Therefore, there is a problem that dust occurs at the abutting site and the dust control performance is lowered. Further, the surface shape of the mis-deletion preventing plug 862 varies mainly due to roughness caused by damage, wear-out, etc. of the surface of the mis-deletion preventing plug 862, and thus there is also a problem that the disk drive device carries out mis-detection, that is, it makes a mistake between the write-allowed state and the write-inhibited state.
This problem occurs not only in the disk cartridge, but also in general to cartridges in which a recording medium is housed.
Further, when disk media are designed in high density (normally, the track pitch or track width is reduced) and with enhancement of the storage capacity of the disk medium, a lower capacity disk drive device, which can support only disk media having lower storage capacity, can neither record information into higher capacity disk media (having a larger storage capacity) nor reproduce information from the disk media.
It is also preferable that information, such as pre-recorded information, and the like, which is recorded on disk media having lower recording capacities, be recordable and reproducible by a disk drive device, which also supports disk media having higher recording capacities. Namely, it is preferable that downward compatibility be established when there are multiple types of a disk cartridge, which have the same shape but accommodate disk media of different recording capacities. (Hereinafter, a higher storage capacity and a lower storage capacity will be referred to as, xe2x80x9chigher capacityxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9clower capacityxe2x80x9d, respectively.)
A downward compatible disk drive device can recognize the storage capacity (track pitch or track width) of a loaded disk medium in the process of reading data recorded on the disk medium, and adjust the recording or reproducing state in accordance with the storage capacity of the disk medium. Accordingly, if the storage capacity of the disk medium can be specified before the data are read out from the disk medium, the adjustment corresponding to the storage capacity of the disk medium could be made in advance. Therefore, the idle time could be shortened, that is, the response of the disk drive could be enhanced.
From this viewpoint, a disk cartridge and a disk drive in which an identification hole for identification of storage capacity is provided to a case of the disk cartridge and the storage capacity of the disk medium is identified on the basis of a judgment as to whether a detection member of the disk drive device can be inserted into the identification hole or not are known. According to the disk cartridge and the disk drive device as described above, two different recording capacities can be distinguished from each other with a simple construction.
However, it is difficult in such a conventional storage capacity identifying technique to discriminate many different recording capacities from one another. Further, it is required to prepare for many cases in which identification holes are respectively located at different positions in accordance with the recording capacities of the disk media. This makes the parts management more cumbersome, and increases the number of metal molds used to manufacture cases, and the manufacturing cost of disk cartridges.
The present invention has been implemented in view of the above situation, and objects there of are to provide a cartridge for a recording medium, which cartridge can prevent mis-detection due to deformation of a write protect portion from occurring without lowering dust control performance and allows a disk drive device to identify the recording capacities of a plurality of different disk media using a simple construction, and a disk drive device using the disk cartridge.
In order to attain the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium cartridge for use with a light source, the cartridge comprising: a case; a recording medium accommodated in the case for at least one of reading and writing information to and from the recording medium; a write protection portion formed on the case, the write protection portion including a switching means, which, when receiving light from the light source, re-radiates the light in one of first and second amounts, the first amount indicating that information may be written to the recording medium, and the second amount indicating that information cannot be written to the recording medium, wherein the switching means is operable for selecting which light amount to re-radiate.
The drive device in which the cartridge is loaded to write/read data includes a light emitting portion and a photodetecting portion for detection light used to detect the state of the cartridge, and on the basis of the amount of detection light, which is emitted from the light emitting portion and reaches the photodetecting portion, it is judged to which of the write-allowing mode and the write-inhibiting mode the write protection mode of the recording medium corresponds.
The drive device, in which the cartridge is loaded, may generally identify the write protection mode (the write-allowing mode or the write-inhibiting mode) of the recording medium by judging whether the amount of light reaching the photodetecting portion is above a set value or whether a ratio of the amount of light reaching the photodetecting portion to the amount of light emitted from the light emitting portion is above a set value.
According to the cartridge of the first aspect of the present invention, a member which abuts the write protect portion of the cartridge when the cartridge is loaded in the drive devices is not provided. Therefore, generation of dust in the drive device can be remarkably prevented, and occurrence of mis-detection due to deformation of the write protect portion can also be prevented.
In the cartridge of the first aspect of the present invention, the switching means of the write protect portion may be a deflector, which changes the rate of light reaching the photodetecting portion by switching (varying) a position thereof. The switching of the position of the deflector may be performed by reciprocally moving the deflector in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction or by rotating the deflector. This construction simplifies the structure of the switching means.
Further, the deflector may be a prism. In this case, the deflector can be designed in a compact size. The prism may be rotatably provided so that the position of a prism face can be switched by rotating the prism. Accordingly, the rate of light reaching the photodetecting portion can be switched by a simple operation.
Still further, the deflector may be a reflecting mirror, which enables the deflector to have a compact design and also greatly reduces the manufacturing cost thereof. In addition, the reflecting mirror may be slidably provided so that the location of the reflecting mirror is switched by sliding the reflecting mirror. Accordingly, the structure can be simplified and the rate of light reaching the photodetecting portion can be switched by a simple operation.
The deflector may be housed in the case, and the case may be equipped with an incident light transmissible plate, which transmits the detection light emitted from the light emitting portion therethrough and alows the detection light thus transmitted to reach the deflector, and an emission-light transmissible plate, which transmits the detection light returned from the deflector therethrough and allows the detection light thus transmitted to reach the photodetecting portion. This construction can prevent dust from invading from the outside of the case through the travel passage of the detection light into the case.
The switching means may be an interception plate, which can be switched to enter into or retract from the optical path of the detection light emitted from the case. In this case, the arrival rate described above can be switched by an extremely simple means.
Further, the switching means may be a reflecting member comprising sites, which have different reflectivities for the detection light. In this case, the rate of light arriving can be switched by switching the locating positions of the sites. Accordingly, the construction of the switching means can be simplified, and the cost of the switching means can be greatly reduced.
Still further, the reflecting member may comprise a transparent member and an opaque member, or a white site and a black site. These members may be formed integrally with each other or separated from each other insofar as the locating positions thereof are switched.
In the cartridge of the first aspect of the present invention, the recording medium may be a disk medium. In the disk cartridge, the above effects can be achieved.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium cartridge, the cartridge comprising: a case; a recording material having a storage capacity, the recording material being accommodated in the case and usable for at least one of reading and writing information to and from the recording medium; and a capacity indicating portion formed on the case at one of a plurality of positions, in accordance with the storage capacity of the recording material.
In the cartridge of the second aspect of the present invention, when a disk medium is used, the disk medium is loaded as a disk cartridge into a disk drive device in a loading direction. When the disk medium is loaded in the disk drive device, the storage capacity of the disk medium can be identified by the disk drive device on the basis of the position of the capacity indicating portion disposed at the position corresponding to the storage capacity of the disk medium on a predetermined reference line along the loading direction (the position of the capacity indicating portion in the loading direction).
Here, the capacity indicating portion is merely disposed at the position corresponding to the storage capacity of the disk medium on the reference line, and the disk drive device identifies the storage capacity of the disk medium on the basis of the position of the capacity indicating portion, in other words, the capacity indicating portions of the respective disk cartridges in which disk media having different recording capacities are housed are located on the common reference line in the disk drive device. Therefore, if the identifying means for identifying each of the different recording capacities is disposed along the reference line, the recording capacities of the disk media can be identified on the basis of the positions of the different capacity indicating portions.
As described above, the drive device is able to identify the recording capacities of different disk media with a simple construction.
The disk cartridge described above may be modified so that, when the storage capacity of the disk medium is larger than a predetermined storage capacity permitted by the drive device, the capacity indicating portion projecting from the outside of the case interferes with the identifying means equipped at the drive device side to identify the capacity indicating portion when the disk cartridge is loaded into the drive device, thereby preventing the disk cartridge from being loaded into the drive device.
In the cartridge (disk cartridge) thus constructed, when the storage capacity of a disk medium is larger than a predetermined storage capacity set in the drive device (disk drive device), that is, when the disk medium is an upper type medium with respect to the disk drive device, the capacity indicating portion projecting from the outside of the case interferes with the identifying member of the disk drive device, for example, through fitting, fixedly fitting, abutting, engagement or the like, thereby preventing the cartridge from being loaded into the disk drive device.
Accordingly, the disk cartridge is prevented from being loaded into a lower type disk drive device which cannot record or reproduce information into or from the disk medium housed in the disk cartridge. An upper type disk cartridge (disk medium) into/from which recording/reproduction cannot be carried out by the disk drive device is prevented from being loaded into the disk drive device, and thus it is unnecessary to identify the storage capacity of the upper type disk medium housed in the disk cartridge, so that the construction can be simplified. In addition, erroneous identification of the storage capacity, which would occur if a disk cartridge having an upper type disk medium having a large storage capacity is loaded in the disk drive device, can be prevented with certainty.
The case may be designed to have a fixing portion to which the capacity indicating portion is detachably secured. In the cartridge (disk cartridge) thus constructed, since the fixing portion is provided to the case, the capacity indicating portion can be detached. Accordingly, the same type of case can be shared by the plurality of disk media having different recording capacities.
A small capacity indicating portion for small recording capacities may be formed integrally with the case so as to be located at the rear end, in the loading direction, of the case while the fixing portion is provided more to the front end of the case in the loading direction, with respect to the small capacity indicating portion. With this construction, disk cartridges having various recording capacities ranging from a small storage capacity to a large storage capacity can be implemented using the cases having the same construction.
More specifically, a case for a large storage capacity can be constructed by securing another capacity indicating portion corresponding to the large storage capacity to the fixing portion. Further, by securing another capacity indicating portion corresponding to the intermediate storage capacity between the small storage capacity and the large storage capacity to the fixing portion, a case for the intermediate storage capacity or a storage capacity slightly larger than the intermediate storage capacity can be constructed. If none of the other capacity indicating portions are secured to the fixing portion, a case for the small storage capacity is constructed. Further, the capacity indicating portion for the small storage capacity may also be secured to the fixing portion for the small storage capacity separately from the case.
As described above, according to the cartridge (disk cartridge) thus constructed, the case can be shared, so that the parts management can be easily performed, the number of metal molds can be reduced and thus the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, the case can be recycled as a product, and this is more suitable.
The capacity indicating portion may be designed to have an identifiable mark with which the storage capacity of the disk medium can be visually identified.
In the cartridge (disk cartridge) thus constructed, the storage capacity of the disk medium housed in the cartridge can be visually checked easily because the identifying mark is provided to the capacity indicating portion. That is, the storage capacity of the disk medium can be checked without loading the disk cartridge into the disk drive device, which is convenient. Further, printing or stamping on the case, attachment of a label onto the case, etc. can be abolished, and the case can be more readily shared. Stamping (shaping) or printing of characters or symbols on the capacity indicating portion, coloring, and shaping of the capacity indicating portion itself, etc. may be used as the identifying mark.
The present invention provides, according to a third aspect thereof, a drive device for receiving a recording medium cartridge, wherein the cartridge includes a capacity indicating portion disposed thereon, which denotes a storage capacity of the cartridge, the drive device comprising: an accommodating portion for accommodating the cartridge and at least one of reading and writing information to and from the cartridge; and an identifying means for identifying the capacity indicating portion, and identifying the storage capacity.
A drive device is provided in which a cartridge is accommodated, the cartridge being equipped with a case in which a disk-shaped disk medium is rotatably housed, and a capacity indicating portion provided at a predetermined position corresponding to the storage capacity of the disk medium on a predetermined reference line along the loading direction of the case, characterized by including identifying means for identifying the storage capacity of the disk medium in accordance with the position of the capacity indicating portion of the cartridge loaded in the drive device.
In the drive device (disk drive device) thus constructed, when the cartridge (disk cartridge) is loaded, the identifying means identifies the storage capacity of the disk medium on the basis of the position of the capacity indicating portion of the disk cartridge disposed at the position corresponding to the storage capacity of the disk medium on the reference line along the loading direction (i.e., a depth to which the capacity indicating portion in the drive device is loaded, or loading depth).
Here, the identifying means merely identifies the storage capacity of the disk medium on the basis of the position (the loading depth) of the capacity indicating portion in the disk drive device, the capacity indicating portion being disposed at the position corresponding to the storage capacity of the disk medium on the reference line. In other words, the capacity indicating portions of respective disk cartridges in which disk media having different recording capacities are housed are each located at the different positions on the common reference line in the disk drive device, and thus if the identifying means for identifying the different recording capacities is disposed along the reference line in the disk drive device, the disk drive device can detect the position of each capacity indicating portion with a simple construction.
As described above, according to the drive device, particularly the disk drive device thus constructed, the storage capacity of the disk medium housed in the disk cartridge can be identified with a simple construction.
The drive device may be modified so that when the storage capacity of the disk medium is larger than a predetermined storage capacity, the identifying means interferes with the capacity indicating portion projecting from the case to thereby prevent the cartridge from being loaded into the drive device.
In the drive device (disk drive device) thus constructed, when the storage capacity of the disk medium is larger than the predetermined storage capacity, that is, when the disk medium is an upper type disk medium with respect to the disk drive device, the identifying means interferes with the capacity indicating portion to prevent the loading of the cartridge (disk cartridge).
Accordingly, a disk cartridge containing an upper type disk medium, to/from which the recording/reproduction cannot be carried out by the disk drive device concerned, is prevented from being loaded into the disk drive device, and thus it is unnecessary to identify the storage capacity of the upper type disk medium housed in the disk cartridge. Therefore, the construction is simple. Further, erroneous identification of the storage capacity which would occur if a disk cartridge having an upper type disk medium having a large storage capacity is loaded in the disk drive device can be prevented with certainty.
For example, if a disk cartridge, which houses a disk medium having a larger storage capacity (higher-level type disk medium), is designed so that the capacity indicating portion is formed at a position nearer to the front end of the case on the reference line in the loading direction, the site of the identifying means, which interferes with the capacity indicating portion may be disposed on the movement locus of the capacity indicating portion (on the reference line in the loading direction).
As described above, in the drive device thus constructed, particularly, when disk drive devices, which respectively support various types (upper, middle, lower) of disk media having various recording capacities (large, middle, small), exist, the upper type disk media can be prevented from being erroneously loaded into the lower capacity disk drive devices (which support only disk media having small recording capacities), and data recorded on the upper type disk media can be prevented from being damaged. That is, a disk drive device having a protect function which prevents the loading of disk cartridges containing upper type disk media therein, can be achieved.